Chapter 7

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Xiao Yun suddenly had an idea and went to where his family usually separated their recyclables.

Xiao He would usually keep aside the used paper and plastic bottles from their home to be given to the trash collectors or the old scavengers. He never expected or asked for anything in return.

Though the recyclables given to people were worth at least one or two yuan each, that amount was good enough and important to Xiao Yun at the moment.

“I’ll wait until tonight to tell Dad to leave the recyclables to me to be sold,” said Xiao Yun as he looked at the stack of used paper and plastic bottles before him.

Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough. Xiao Yun decided that he would also collect the scattered recyclables that the neighbors did not want. Over time, this would serve as a small income for him so that he would at least have enough money to buy a lottery ticket.

As he spoke out his thoughts, Xiao Yun took a bag and ran out of the house.

Xiao Yun was very good at talking which made it easy for him to befriend the neighbors and convince them to give him their recyclables.

Someone asked Xiao Yun what he wanted these things for and the three-and-a-half-year-old said he wanted to sell them for money.

Another person asked what he wanted to do with such a small amount of money. Obviously, Xiao Yun would never reveal that he would use the money to buy lottery tickets.

That would scare them to death. Moreover, it would be unrealistic to say so.

So Xiao Yun told them that he was going to use the money to buy candy.

And everyone easily accepted his response. It was understandable for children his age.

They praised Xiao Yun for being so independent already and willingly passed him whatever recyclables they had and he could carry with him.

Some of the neighbors even gave him some candy right away, which Xiao Yun did not expect since that was just a cover.

But he would be a fool to reveal that. So he simply said his thank-yous and accepted the candy.

Everyone praised him for being a polite and good child.

By the time he was done making his first collection round, Xiao Yun had filled his bag to the brim and also earned the hearts of his neighbors.

Everyone he spoke to also said that they would make it a point to set aside recyclables for him to collect in the future.

He carried the bag home and put it together with the stacks of recyclables they already had.

If he wanted to earn money by selling recyclables, he couldn’t just be limited to the area of his home.

It was too slow and there weren’t enough of them.

“Hmm, I remember a children’s playground near our place with lots of vendors nearby. I should be able to collect lots of recyclables there,” said Xiao Yun with arms crossed over his chest and a hand rubbing his chin.

Since he had decided on his target, he immediately took action. After all, time was money to him now.

And this time, Xiao Yun planned to bring Lin Xi along. That way, he could be with Lin Xi for a while longer.

He ran out of the house and over to Lin Xi’s house across the street.

Lin Xi’s mother was washing clothes. When she saw Xiao Yun running over, panting, she was shocked. She thought that something had happened, so she hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you running so fast?”

Xiao Yun waved his hand and said, “It’s okay, nothing is wrong.”

But he was silently cursing this tiny and weak body of his. Not only was it small and inconvenient to move in, but it also didn’t have large strides.

Lin Xi was watching TV in the room. When she heard the sound outside, she turned away from the TV without hesitation and ran outside. While running, she said, “Mom, is Big Brother Xiao Yun here?”

“Yes, Big Brother Xiao Yun is here. This girl thinks about Xiao Yun every day.” Li Ping did not hesitate to complain about her daughter’s obsession with the little boy.

When Lin Xi came out and saw Xiao Yun, she immediately ran to Xiao Yun and gave him a bear hug.

Xiao Yun was knocked back a few steps for a moment. Thankfully,Li Ping reached out her hand in time to support him. She patted Lin Xi’s head and said, “Slow down, Big Brother Xiao Yun can’t withstand such a force from you.”

Hearing Li Ping’s words, Lin Xi quickly withdrew from Xiao Yun’s embrace and even stuck out her tongue mischievously.

Seeing Lin Xi’s expression, Xiao Yun couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, he pinched her chubby face and said, “It’s alright.”

Then, he turned to Li Ping and said, “Aunty, I want to take Lin Xi out to play today. Is that okay?”

Li Ping was hesitant for a moment. After all, they were two three-year-old children. What if something happened to them?

However, she was washing clothes now, and she still needed to cook later, so she couldn’t accompany the two of them.

When Lin Xi heard that Xiao Yun was going to take her out to play, she jumped and clapped her hands, saying, “Yes, yes, I want to go out to play with Big Brother Xiao Yun.”

Li Ping gave a light knock on her daughter’s head and said, “You two are too young. When I’m done, I’ll see if I can take you two.”

Xiao Yun had already guessed this possibility from the very beginning. After all, children over three years old were still too young to be wandering around unsupervised.

Thus, he said what he had already thought: “Aunty, don’t worry. Lin Xi and I will be playing at the nearby playground. We definitely won’t run around. You can also see us there from home.”

As he spoke, he pointed in the direction of the playground.

Li Ping looked in the direction that Xiao Yun pointed in and found that she could indeed be able to watch over them from her place.

However, she still didn’t believe him when he said that they wouldn’t run around beyond the playground. After all, children nowadays were at the age where they loved to move. How could they not want to run around?

Even if Xiao Yun could guarantee that he wouldn’t run around, Lin Xi might not. Li Ping hesitated again.

The mother looked at Xiao Yun, trying to figure out how much she could trust the words of a three-and-a-half-year-old.

Xiao Yun could see Li Ping’s concern, so he asked Lin Xi, “When Big Brother Xiao Yun brings you out to play later, can you promise to listen to Big Brother Xiao Yun and not run around?”

Lin Xi loudly said, “Yes, I promise not to run around.”

She extended three chubby fingers as a sign of her promise, but no matter how she extended his fingers, one of them couldn’t be completely erected.

Li Ping looked at Xiao Yun’s serious expression and decided to trust him this time, so she nodded. However, she was still worried as she crouched down and instructed the two of them. “Don’t run around beyond the playground. When I’m done here, I’ll come to look for you.”

Then, she instructed Lin Xi specifically, “Do you understand that you have to listen to Big Brother Xiao Yun?”

Lin Xi nodded her head vigorously and kissed Li Ping’s face forcefully.

Li Ping patted their heads and signaled to them that they could run along to play.

The two of them walked toward the playground hand in hand after receiving the order.

There were many people at the playground but most of them were parents who had brought their children over to play.

Xiao Yun was not in a hurry to pick up the recyclables. He had just looked around and found that it was not the time to do so yet. There were not that many recyclables to collect anyway.

So he planned to play with Lin Xi for a while.

Lin Xi was indeed very obedient. When they reached the playground, she did not complain or caused any scenes. She simply held Xiao Yun’s hand and followed him.